In 1854 Christiaan Frederick Beyers bought the Zorgvliet farm at a public sale for £2750 sterling. After the Manor house was partly destroyed by a fire he rebuilt it in 1860 as seen on the front gable.
In 1865 a devastating phylloxera plague forced most farmers in the area to sell their farms, Beyers senior went to Europe with his whole family in search of a solution. They spent 12 months overseas and he came back much more knowledgeable on a broad range of subjects. He rebuilt the road passing the farm; Government engineers commended him on the insight and quality of the project.
On the 23rd September 1869 Christiaan’s youngest son and namesake was born. He grew up to become a famous Boer General. Beyers fought a guerrilla war during the Anglo Boer War in the north near Ka’Ingo private reserve; he was later killed by pro Government soldiers in the Vaal River near the Riviera on Vaal Hotel during the Rebellion. After the Boer war C.F. Beyers served as Commandant-General of the Citizen Force.
In August 1912 Brig General C.F. Beyers, was sent to England and Europe by General Smuts to observe and report on the use of aircraft in military operations. Brig. Gen. Beyers was so impressed by what he saw, that when he returned to the Union, he strongly recommended setting up a school of aviation. The Government subsequently contracted Mr Cecil Compton Paterson to provide flying training to a select group of ten aviators at his flying school at Alexanderfontein near Kimberley.
On 15 September, General Beyers resigned his commission and his appointment as Commandant-General, and then sent his grey Daimler to Johannesburg to fetch General De la Rey to Pretoria for discussions. That evening Beyers and De la Rey set off in the car bound for Potchefstroom military camp where they were to meet General Kemp, who had also resigned his commission. The generals were edgy. Taking a circuitous route round Johannesburg to allay suspicions, they came across several police patrols and accelerated away despite signals to stop. Ironically, the police activity was not intended for them. That morning the notorious Foster Gang had murdered a detective and had made their escape in a similar car. Police had been ordered to stop all cars and to shoot if necessary. At Langlaagte in Johannesburg, they encountered another police patrol. The generals again ordered their driver to accelerate and the car crashed through the police barrier. A trooper fired. The ill-aimed bullet hit the ground and ricocheted inwards penetrating De la Rey's heart. With the words "'Dit is raak!" (I'm hit) he died in the arms of Beyers.
The rebellion against the Union’s involvement in the First World War was a reality but short-lived. General Beyers was the first to succumb. Cornered by the loyal forces, he was driven up against the Vaal River in flood. With his pursuers on the one side and the raging torrent on the other, he was drowned in an ill-starred attempt to escape across that treacherous river. Parties were sent out to drag the river and search for the body, and a reward of £50 was offered to the finder.
Mrs. Beyers left Pretoria in a special train with a coffin on board, to join the search party. She was accompanied by a few relatives and friends, including one doctor of medicine and one minister of religion. They travelled along the Johannesburg-Kimberley line as far as Maquasi, near the river, where they received tidings of the recovery of General Beyers's body. It was found by a Dutch farmer, who promptly claimed the £50 reward. |
